Analyst: South Korean exchange to test late-night trading next week, putting global demand to the test

BlockBeats news, September 13 — South Korea's main stock exchange is extending trading into the evening, breaking with Asian trading-hour conventions as it seeks to capture sustained demand from global investors. As a step toward the Korea Exchange's goal of 24-hour trading starting in December 2027, the bourse will open trading in almost all local stocks until 8 p.m. on Monday, compared with the regular close of 3:30 p.m. That is a first among major Asian exchanges, but follows a global trend toward round-the-clock markets. The new measure starting next Monday in South Korea will test whether it can maintain sufficient liquidity over a longer trading day and prove that investors really need the extra time — even as interest in Korean stocks is cooling.

Lee Young-jae, a senior investment manager at Pictet Asset Management in London, said: "A longer trading window generally means more flexibility for investors, which makes the market more efficient. More trading-oriented, higher-turnover investors, or hedge-fund-type investors, may use it more frequently." Edward Kim, head of Korean equity sales at Bank of America, said this is "another step in the continued evolution of South Korea's capital markets and their accessibility to global investors." (Jinshi)